NSW Greens MP and healthy oceans spokesperson Cate Faehrmann is calling on the Minns government to abandon the use of shark nets in NSW after yesterday’s release of a shocking report into the numbers of animals caught in nets over the last summer.
Data shows that more animals were caught than the previous season, one quarter of the animals caught were threatened species and very few of the animals caught were the species being targeted by the program.
The Shark Meshing (Bather Protection) Program 2023/24 Annual Performance Report shows that over the previous summer, a total of 255 marine animals were caught in shark nets with just 15 (5.8 per cent) of those being target sharks.
Photo Sea Shepherd Australia
The previous summer 89 per cent of the 228 animals caught were non-target, meaning more non-target species were caught in the nets this year.
Net victims
The report shows that 109 non-target sharks, five bottlenose dolphins, 13 threatened green turtles, three endangered loggerhead turtles, and 11 threatened leatherback turtles were all killed after being trapped in nets and left to die slow, horrible deaths.
Double the number of leatherback turtles were caught than the previous year and 14 critically endangered Grey Nurse Sharks were caught, with six of these being killed.
92 of the 255 marine animals that were captured in the nets were released, though there is no data on whether those released animals survived after this. One quarter of the marine animals caught were threatened species, with half of them killed.
Distressing
‘These latest numbers are distressing and prove once again just how lethal and indiscriminate shark nets are,’ said Cate Faehrmann.
‘The government is responsible for the protection of threatened species, including in our oceans. Yet what we’re seeing from the minister responsible is a blatant disregard for threatened marine animals.
‘The only way to stop animals like turtles, rays, and harmless sharks being killed in shark nets is to remove them altogether. The government knows this but is too weak to act,’ said Ms Faehrmann.
‘This is yet more proof that the Minns government cares more about headlines than it does the survival of threatened marine animals.
‘Almost half of the sharks caught in nets are on the beach side of the net as they try and make their way back to open water,’ she said.
‘Last week, the government announced a pathetic measure to “increase protections for marine life” by leaving shark nets in the water for seven months of the year instead of eight.
‘This latest report shows that we need stronger action from the government if we are to stop some of our most threatened marine animals becoming extinct in NSW waters,’ said Ms Faehrmann.
‘We need to leave the dark ages and move towards new, smart technologies like drones and shark listening stations, which are all proven to work without the unnecessary killing of marine life.’
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